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Biodiversity and Genetic Resources

(January 23, 2013, Mexico City) Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, head of government of the Federal District, has betrayed the peasants of UNORCA mounting anti-riot police operation at the Angel of Independence. It had been negotiated with the City yesterday, an agreement to allow a peaceful sit-in and hunger strike against the imminent commercial release of transgenic corn planting on a large scale in Mexico (see link below for more information) . Despite the alleged agreement, when hundreds of farmers of 20 states of the republic came to settle, they found hundreds of riot police with shields preventing access to the monument, in what is being called a betrayal and a "pre-eviction. "

Alberto Gómez Flores, a leader of the UNORCA and coordinator of Via Campesina North America, said: "it's very symbolic because they are preventing people of this country from being in front of the Monument of Independence from Spanish colonialism, and thus they are really serving their current masters, the new colonialists of Monsanto, DuPont and Pioneer. "He continued, "here we are a few meters from the U.S. Embassy, which also serves the same masters." And " we will stay here in camp, as close as we can be to the Monument, and if they come to evict us we will sit peacefully in resistence . They will not take us away from here."

The UNORCA calls on all the people of goodwill write messages of condemnation of his deciet to the Head of Government of the Federal District, with the demand of the farmers be allowed to install their camp at the "Angel" monument. Messages should be sent to:

Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa

Jefe de Gobierno del Distrito Federal

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